Can opener



April 29, 1930. L. rR. WHITEY CAN OPENER Filed Jan. 9, 1929 gwmwoz an Wiz ingg alltel wsu/nul,

Patented Apr. 29, 1930 ST 'FE LOGAN It. WHITNEY, OF LOS ANGELES, GALTFORNIA, ASSIGNOR T0 WHITNEY-JAR'VTS COMPANY, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, .A CORPORATION OF KENTUCKY CAN OPENER Application ined January 9, 1929.

The invention forming the subject matter of the present application is a can opener' designed to cut the `side of a can immediately below the top thereof, in order to effect separation of the top from the can.

The present invention is an improvement on the can opener disclosed in my U. S. Patent No. 1,604,006, october 10, 1926.

The can opener disclosed in my said patent included a puncturing element for forming a hole in the side of a can, in order to receive the cutting blade which performed the actual separation of the top of the can from the body thereof. In the present invention the puncturing element is omitted, and the function of the said element and the cutting blade of the patented invention is performed by the single cutting blade of the present can opener.

The main object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide a can opener of eX- ceedingly simple design and which can be stamped out from a sheet of metal in a very few operations.

Another object of the invention is to provide a can opener of this type which can be very cheaply manufactured, and which is adapted to perform its functions with the fewest possible motions of the operator.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent as the detailed description thereof proceeds.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of my can opener; shown at the start of a puncturing operation;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of my can opener in a cutting operation on the side of can;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the operative end of the can opener.

Referring to the drawings:

The reference numeral 1` designates the cylindrical body of the can having a top 2 connected to the body 1 by overlapping flanges forming a rim 3 of a construction commonly used in cans of this type. f

The can opener comprises a sheet of material 4 shaped to form a handle 5, and having a slot 6 cut through one edge thereof to form a puncturing and cutting blade 7 The blade Serial No. 331,266.

7 is beveled on its inner ed-ge 8, and on its outer edge 9 to form cutting edges; and these two edges are curved to intersect at a point 10 which forms a puncturing point adapted to pierce the cylindrical side of a can as a preliminary to the cutting operation thereof.

In order to position the cutting blade v7 properly below the top of the can, the plate 4 is provided with a guard 11 stamped upwardly from the plate 4 and extending across the greater part of the slot 6. The guard 11 terminates in a point 12 which is separated from the upper face of the blade 7, a sufficient distance to position the blade 7 immediately below the top 2 of the can when the said point 12 is seated on the top 2 as shown in Fig. 1.

The guard 11 is provided with a recess 13 adapted to clear the top of the rim 3 and per* mit the point 12 to seat on the top 2. rEhe point 12 is adapted,`not only to seat on the top 2, but also to engage the inner face of the rim 3 to act as a fulcrum about which the blade 4 may be rotated anti-clockwise, as shown in Fig. 1, in order to force the point 10 of blade V7 through the side of the can into the Fig. 2. A

From the position'shown in Fig. 2, the vcan opener may be rotated around the can by anti-clockwise movements, .using the cutting edge 9, to separate the top from the can. However, this is not the most efficient cutting operation, and it is preferred to use the cutj ting edge 8 by drawing the can opener clockwise around the top of the can and utilizing the small projection 14 formed in the slot 6 as a'fulcrum for this purpose in the manner shown in fulllines of Fig. 2.

In order to adapt the plate 4 for additional use, I provide the rear edge thereof with a hook-1ikerprojection 15, which is adapted to cooperate with a projection 16 to form a re'- mover for a bottle cap of the crown type.V While this cap remover does not affect the cutting operations of the cutting elements of this can opener, it forms a very convenient instrument which can be stamped out with practically no additional cost.

position shown by dotted linesin` VWhat I claim is: Y

A can opener comprising a single plate of o material shaped to form a handle and having a slot cut through one edge thereof to form a cutting blade extending across the end of said plate, both edges of said cutting blade being beveled 'to form cutting edges and curved to meet in a puncturing point, the edge of said slot opposite said blade having a part thereof adapted to jf-"orin a -uleruin about which said blade inay be swung to utilize the inner cutting ed-ge thereof in the separation of the top of a can from the body thereof, and a guard extending substantially across the mouth of said slot, and having a part thereof shaped 'to :form la Aulcruni about which the blade may be swung 'to utilize the lother cutting 'edge of said blade in a can opening ope-ration. i

In testimony Whereof I affix my signature.

LQGAN R. WHITNEY. 

